PVTA proposes 25 percent bus fare hike and regular increases plus route cutbacks
The Springfield-area public transit agency also wants an automatic 5 percent per year fare increase implemented every three years. Level funding in the face of rising costs for buses, fuel, maintenance and payroll leaves the PVTA with a $3.1 million budget gap, the PVTA said Friday in a press release. The PVTA had an operating budget of $47 million in fiscal 2017, down from $47.2 million a year earlier. The PVTA, which carried 11.5 million passengers in fiscal 2017, already cut back routes this summer over the objections of users and businesses. The agency’s fiscal year begins July 1.